Module 12 of 12 · 全科中文 Primary Care
沟通难题 Hard Conversations
Hold primary care’s hardest talks in Mandarin: a worrying result, a protective family, money worries and planning ahead, kindly and clearly.
By the end of this module you can…
- Break a worrying result step by step: setting, what they know, how much they want to hear, the news, emotion and the plan.
- Say 癌症 clearly but gently, with a warning shot and a pause.
- Respond to emotion, and offer hope without promises.
- Answer a family who asks you not to tell, and talk about cost.
- Start planning ahead: a health care proxy, CPR and a breathing tube.
Key vocabulary
Fourteen words from this module. Tap the speaker to hear each one.
Serious illness
- 癌症ái zhèngCancer
- 活检huó jiǎnBiopsy
- 肿瘤zhǒng liúTumor
- 早期zǎo qīEarly stage
- 晚期wǎn qīAdvanced stage
- 治疗zhì liáoTreatment
- 手术shǒu shùSurgery
- 放疗fàng liáoRadiation therapy
Planning ahead
- 预后yù hòuPrognosis
- 费用fèi yòngCost
- 医疗代理人yī liáo dài lǐ rénHealth care proxy
- 心肺复苏xīn fèi fù sūCPR
- 气管插管qì guǎn chā guǎnBreathing tube (intubation)
- 预立医疗指示yù lì yī liáo zhǐ shìAdvance directive
Ten core phrases
The lines from this module’s take-home phrase sheet. In the course you can print them on one page for your pocket.
- 您希望谁陪您一起听结果？Nín xī wàng shéi péi nín yì qǐ tīng jié guǒ?Who would you like with you to hear the results?
- 您希望我把结果详细地告诉您吗？Nín xī wàng wǒ bǎ jié guǒ xiáng xì de gào su nín ma?Would you like me to go through the results in detail?
- 很遗憾，结果不太好。Hěn yí hàn, jié guǒ bú tài hǎo.I’m sorry, the result isn’t what we hoped.
- 活检的结果是癌症。Huó jiǎn de jié guǒ shì ái zhèng.The biopsy shows cancer.
- 这个消息很难接受。Zhè ge xiāo xi hěn nán jiē shòu.This is very hard news to take in.
- 我不能保证，但是我会一直跟您说实话。Wǒ bù néng bǎo zhèng, dàn shì wǒ huì yì zhí gēn nín shuō shí huà.I can’t promise, but I’ll always tell you the truth.
- 对您来说，最重要的是什么？Duì nín lái shuō, zuì zhòng yào de shì shén me?What matters most to you?
- 治疗的费用，有没有让您担心？Zhì liáo de fèi yòng, yǒu méi yǒu ràng nín dān xīn?Is the cost of treatment worrying you?
- 如果您不能自己做决定，您希望谁替您做决定？Rú guǒ nín bù néng zì jǐ zuò jué dìng, nín xī wàng shéi tì nín zuò jué dìng?If you couldn’t decide for yourself, who should decide for you?
- 您不是一个人，我们会一直陪着您。Nín bú shì yí ge rén, wǒ men huì yì zhí péi zhe nín.You’re not alone. We’ll be with you all the way.
What’s in Module 12
- Part 1 · Warm-UpWarm-Up: How Would You Want to Hear It?
- Part 2 · The Words for Hard TalksReading the PinyinSaying 癌症, Not “Something Bad”Vocabulary · Flash CardsSix Steps for Bad News
- Part 3 · Bad News, Step by StepThe Worrying-Result ScriptThe Warning Shot and the PauseKey PatternsResponding to EmotionHope Without PromisesWhen the Family Asks You Not to Tell
- Part 4 · Cost, the Future and SafetyTalking About CostAdvance Directives and the Health Care ProxyDistress After Bad News
- Part 5 · Concerns & CultureWhat Patients SayChinese Medicine Alongside TreatmentThree Words for Serious Illness
- Part 6 · Role-PlayRound 1 · Guided ConversationRound 2 · Controlled PracticeRounds 3, 4 & 5 · Independent
- Part 7 · Knowledge CheckModule 12 Knowledge Check
- Part 8 · Wrap-UpModule 12 HomeworkTake-Home Phrase SheetModule 12 Wrap-Up · 下次见
Practice it properly
The full module adds dialogues, role-plays, pronunciation drills and a Knowledge Check. Pass the check to earn a certificate of completion you can add to LinkedIn.